Sports category, Page 757
Penguins can’t complete rally vs. Capitals as 3-game winning streak ends
Having worn the colors of both sides of the rivalry, Lars Eller can articulate the decades-long feud between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals with an educated perspective. “It’s a divisional game,” said Eller, currently the Penguins’ third-line center. “A rivalry game. There’s going to be high emotions on both...
Cold-shooting Pitt remains winless in ACC after loss to No. 8 North Carolina
The missed shots hurt – badly – and Pitt had plenty of those in its 70-57 loss to No. 8 North Carolina on Tuesday night. Shots that go awry create opportunities for rebounds and second-chance points. But that was no advantage for a Pitt team that lost the battle of...
Forward Bryan Rust rejoins Penguins’ lineup
Bryan Rust burst into 2024 with a pretty buoyant attitude. At least that’s what one could surmise when the Pittsburgh Penguins forward took to the ice at PPG Paints Arena for a morning skate Tuesday waving to the handful of media members there to watch. His quips and one-liners to...
Dolphins to host Bills with a chance to win AFC East, start playoffs at homeVideo
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The Miami Dolphins will be in the playoffs no matter what, but there’s plenty at stake in their showdown with AFC East rival Buffalo on Sunday night. The Dolphins’ chances at earning the AFC’s top seed ended when they were blown out at Baltimore last weekend....
Analysis: Surprising Colts control playoff destiny entering showdown with Texans
INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Colts weren’t supposed to be here, playing a prime-time game in Week 18 with a chance to make the playoffs. Not with a rookie quarterback who then suffered a season-ending injury that forced Indy (9-7) to rely on a veteran backup for its final 12 games....
Analysis: Bills overcome deficiencies, missteps to set up showdown at Miami for AFC East title
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Don’t count the Buffalo Bills out of — or into — the playoffs just yet. This has, after all, been a team that’s not made much appear easy this season. It’s remarkable that the Bills (10-6) have made made it this far. They’ve won four straight...
NFL fines Panthers owner David Tepper $300,000 for tossing drink at Jaguars fansVideo
The NFL has fined Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper $300,000 for tossing a drink at fans in Jacksonville toward the end of a game on Sunday. The league called Tepper’s conduct “unacceptable” in a statement released Tuesday. “All NFL personnel are expected to conduct themselves at all times in ways...
T.J. Watt voted Steelers’ MVP by teammates for record-tying 4th time
Seven seasons and 100-plus games into his NFL career, T.J. Watt finally is allowing himself to, at times, stop and smell the proverbial roses. “I’m able to more live in the moment a little more and be present,” Watt said after Pittsburgh Steelers practice Tuesday. “I am able to enjoy...
Luke Littler, 16, reaches final of world darts championship in one of the sport’s most unlikely storiesVideo
Luke Littler reached the final of the world darts championship at the age of 16 on Tuesday, extending one of the most unlikely stories in the history of the sport. Littler, an unseeded player from Runcorn in northwest England who started throwing darts as a toddler, beat 2018 champion Rob...
John Harbaugh has reason to dance after another dominant performance by the RavensVideo
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The more grueling the task, the better the Baltimore Ravens have looked this season, so it was only fair that coach John Harbaugh decided to let loose with a little dancing in the locker room. “I thought I was smooth, rolling. Then, my daughter showed me...
Penguins assign Vinnie Hinostroza, Ryan Shea to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
The Pittsburgh Penguins assigned forward Vinnie Hinostroza and defenseman Ryan Shea to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League on Tuesday. These transactions allowed the team to formally activate forward Bryan Rust from long-term injured reserve. Hinostroza (Dec. 16) and Shea (Dec. 19) each cleared waivers recently, allowing them to be...
Minkah Fitzpatrick remains out of Steelers practice, Kenny Pickett back to full participation
The prospects of All-Pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick returning for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ regular-season finale look considerably more bleak after Fitzpatrick sat out Tuesday’s practice. Fitzpatrick has missed the past two games because of a knee injury, but coach Mike Tomlin left the door open that he could return for Saturday’s...
Jets releasing 4-time Pro Bowl RB Dalvin Cook with 1 game left in season
The New York Jets are waiving running back Dalvin Cook before the final game of the season, according to Cook’s agents, LAA Sports & Entertainment. The 28-year-old Cook had a disappointing tenure with the Jets, who signed the four-time Pro Bowl selection to a one-year deal worth $7 million —...
Steelers’ Mason Rudolph has ‘tunnel vision’ on Ravens, not his future or past 2 weeks
With his play the past two weeks, Mason Rudolph has put himself in position to earn a measure of job security next season when he hits free agency for the second time in his NFL career. Rudolph isn’t looking that far ahead. Not with the Pittsburgh Steelers trying to secure...
Frank Ryan, the last quarterback to lead the Cleveland Browns to an NFL title, has died at 87
CLEVELAND — Frank Ryan, the quarterback who led the Cleveland Browns to their last NFL title in 1964, has died. He was 87. The team said Ryan died Monday at a nursing home in Connecticut. There was no immediate cause of death given, but Ryan’s son, Frank Ryan Jr., told...
Steelers’ Kenny Pickett denies refusing to be No. 2 quarterback against Seahawks
Saying he felt like his character was attacked, Kenny Pickett strongly denied accusations that he refused to be the backup quarterback behind starter Mason Rudolph on Sunday in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 30-23 victory at Seattle. Pickett addressed the allegations Tuesday morning before practice at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. “There was...
Doug Ferguson: Questions to contemplate for a new year on PGA Tour
Of the two clear signs the PGA Tour is about to embark on a new year at Kapalua, one is obvious: The magnificent view from the first tee of an 80-yard fairway that seemingly drops into the Pacific Ocean. The other is more bizarre: Jon Rahm sightings. Rahm is the...
CFP championship game matches Washington’s prolific passing against Michigan’s best-in-nation defense
Michael Penix Jr. hasn’t faced a defense like Michigan’s, and the Wolverines certainly haven’t faced a quarterback like the Heisman Trophy runner-up from Washington. The matchup will be the most intriguing in the College Football Playoff championship game at NRG Stadium in Houston on Jan. 8. That much was assured...
Hermoso testifies in sexual assault case after kiss at Women’s World Cup
MADRID — The Spanish player kissed on the lips by the soccer president at the Women’s World Cup final appeared in court on Tuesday to testify in the sexual assault case against the former official. Jenni Hermoso was at the Madrid court to give her version of the kiss by...
Nadal returns with win in Brisbane in 1st competitive singles match in a year
BRISBANE, Australia — His arms raised triumphantly, unable to conceal a winner’s grin, Rafael Nadal took time to savor a victory that was 12 months and a lot of rehab in the making. Sure, it was the first round of a season-opening tournament, but it felt momentous for the 22-time...
Michael Penix Jr. leads No. 2 Washington to 37-31 victory over Texas and spot in national title game
NEW ORLEANS — The remarkable comeback story of Michael Penix Jr. is a victory away from a perfect ending for Washington. Penix passed for 430 yards and two touchdowns, and the Huskies held off Texas 37-31 in the Sugar Bowl on Monday night to advance to the College Football Playoff...
Analysis: officials, coaches had crucial Week 17 calls that could have huge playoff ramifications
The NFL is approaching the 5-year anniversary of a non-call on a blatant pass interference in the NFC championship game that helped the Rams advance to the Super Bowl over the Saints. It’s a black eye the league would like to forget, a difficult task in a season that’s been...
Penguins forward Bryan Rust a game-time decision against Capitals
Pittsburgh Penguins forward Bryan Rust has been labeled as a “game-time decision” in advance of his team’s home game against the Washington Capitals at PPG Paints Arena on Tuesday. Coach Mike Sullivan provided a status on Rust following a morning skate. Currently designated to long-term injured reserve due to an...
Fired-up Lions coach Dan Campbell insists he has moved on from loss to Cowboys
DETROIT — Dan Campbell’s passion has been on display since the moment he was hired as coach of the Detroit Lions, famously saying at his opening news conference nearly three years ago that his teams would kick in teeth and bite kneecaps of opponents. Campbell has screamed with joy, and...
Christian McCaffrey will miss 49ers’ regular-season finale, should return for playoffs
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — NFL leading rusher Christian McCaffrey will miss San Francisco’s regular-season finale with a mild calf strain but should be ready to return for the playoffs. McCaffrey got hurt in Sunday’s 27-10 victory at Washington that helped the 49ers clinch the No. 1 seed in the NFC...
